Case Study: Allergies and Infections

Louise was a lovely 26 year old lady who came to see me seeking help for eczema. The only place she suffered eczema was on her hands, but it was quite severe. Her hands were red, itchy and they had several deep cracks which regularly bled. Using her hands for everyday tasks was painful and unpleasant because the inflamed skin kept cracking and weeping. She used a weak cortisone cream on her hands at night because sometimes the skin would burn and sting so much at night that she found it hard to get to sleep.

The other problem Louise had was constant infections. As soon as she recovered from one cold, she caught a new one. She was tired of constantly having a blocked nose and sore throat.

Louise had seen her doctor about the problems and her doctor offered a much stronger cortisone cream. Louise was too scared to use it though because she heard that cortisone was dangerous and was worried about suffering side effects. Louise suspected that dairy products aggravated her skin because when she ate cheese or yogurt, the skin seemed much more red and inflamed that night. They also made her nasal congestion worse. Her doctor told Louise that perhaps salicylate sensitivity is responsible for the eczema and suggested she try a salicylate free diet. Louise did a bit of internet research on what a low salicylate diet involves and found it too overwhelming. She decided to come to our clinic for help.

I asked Louise to complete a thorough health questionnaire because I wanted to know if she suffered any other health problems. Overall her health was good, although she sometimes suffered digestive problems and didn’t always sleep too well. Louise was very health conscious and tried to eat well. She didn’t often eat gluten because she found it made her abdomen bloated and uncomfortable. However she was still eating gluten containing grains a few times each week, mostly as oats and rye bread. I asked Louise to cut all gluten out of her diet completely to see if that would make a difference. Gluten is highly inflammatory and it causes or aggravates a great number of skin conditions.

Louise mentioned to me that almonds always made her bloated and gave her gas. She would bring a small container of almonds to work to snack on in the afternoon but felt quite a lot of digestive discomfort after eating them. She found it funny that when she was trying to be good with her diet and eating well, she didn’t feel well. If she snacked on a chocolate bar she felt fine afterwards and wasn’t bloated.

My recommendations

• I asked Louise to avoid all gluten completely and told her it may take at least 6 weeks to notice a change in her symptoms. There is no such thing as a low gluten diet if someone has a sensitivity to it. Every last trace of gluten must be avoided if you suspect it’s causing you a health problem.
• I asked Louise to avoid all dairy products because they are a well known eczema trigger and she noticed the eczema was worse when she consumed them. They can also increase mucus production, which increases the risk of respiratory tract infections.
• Nut allergies are extremely common, especially to peanuts and almonds, since they are the most commonly eaten nuts. I asked Louise to avoid all nuts except macadamia nuts. They are the nuts least likely to trigger allergies or sensitivities. I also asked Louise to avoid all seeds except hemp seeds. She was happy enough to snack on macadamia nuts and hemp seeds in the afternoons and found them very filling yet light on her digestive system. Salicylate intolerance can trigger eczema for some people but it is not common, compared to other food sensitivities. Therefore I didn’t restrict Louise’s intake of salicylates.
• A blood test showed that Louise didn’t have enough vitamin D in her body. This is a problem because it weakens the immune system and makes a person far more susceptible to catching infections.
• To help Louise overcome her current cold and reduce the risk of her catching another one, I gave her Cold Eze capsules. The herb Astragalus in this formula should help to reduce the risk of future infections.
• Improving liver function is very important for anyone with eczema as that will reduce the burden placed on the immune system. Your liver is supposed to cleanse and filter your bloodstream. If your liver is sluggish, toxins accumulate in your bloodstream and place a burden on your immune system. Therefore I asked Louise to take 2 Livatone Plus capsules with breakfast and 2 with dinner each day.

Two month follow up consultation

Louise was extremely pleased with the improvement in her skin. The deep cracks had healed and her skin was no longer wet and weepy. Her hands rarely felt itchy but she did catch herself scratching on days she felt particularly stressed or anxious. Stress and anxiety are very common eczema triggers.

Louise wasn’t missing the foods she excluded from her diet and she wanted the rash to clear one hundred percent before reintroducing any foods. Therefore I asked her to stick with the diet and I gave her a magnesium supplement and a probiotic. Magnesium is great for relaxing the nervous system and helping you to handle stress. Probiotics are very good for all types of allergies because they improve the health of the immune system in the intestines, and this is where the majority of our immune cells live.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.